LONDON: In a handwritten note on a sketch of an evening dress for her official visit to Pakistan and India in 1961, Queen Elizabeth II specified it should be sewn in “yellow satin”, a colour symbolising health and prosperity in the region.

The sketch is one of about 300 items on display, some for the first time, at an exhibition, “Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style”, which opened at Buckingham Palace on Friday.

On the visit to Pakistan, she dined with president Ayub Khan wearing a satin dress in the colours of the national flag.

“She was the undisputed queen of sartorial diplo­macy,” said de Guitaut.

Elizabeth wore a satin dress in the colours of Pakistan’s flag during her visit in 1961

And in 1954, while travelling in Australia, she wore a yellow stole delicately embroidered with the golden wattle, the national floral emblem.

The monarch’s aim was always the same: “to show respect for the country she was visiting”, the curator said, since her visits were made on government advice largely to countries with whom Britain hoped to build stronger ties.

This unprecedented survey of the late monarch’s wardrobe throughout her life (1926-2022) reveals the important diplomatic role she attached to her outfits.

The display in the King’s Gallery at the London palace features sheath dresses sparkling with sequins and swirling outfits in vibrant colours from the 1960s.

There are also spectacular draped evening dresses straight from the atelier of Cristobal Balenciaga, mater­nity outfits and the military uniforms the princess wore during World War II.

In a section called “the finishing touch”, the queen’s signature colourful hats are pinned up on a wall opposite the coordinating outfits.

Tickets for the spectacular exhibition, which runs to October, have already sold out for this month.

Highlights include Elizabeth’s wedding dress dating from 1947 and the ornate embroidered gown she wore for her coronation, both created by British designer Norman Hartnell.

Political aims

“We wanted to pay tribute not only to her style but also to British fashion and designers,” stressed Carol­i­ne de Guitaut, the curator. He chose the outfits on display from an archive of some 4,000 items.

A key attribute of the royal’s wardrobe was its political aims, the exhibition reveals, with fashion choices also playing a diplomatic role.

The coronation gown illustrates this, perfectly decorated with the national emblems of the nations of the United Kingdom: the English rose, the Welsh leek and the Scottish thistle, as well as flowers symbolising the Commonwealth countries.

This diplomatic dimension was a recurring theme of Elizabeth’s wardrobe through her reign.

‘Eye for everything’

This broke with the ancient tradition of royal clothing as a way to display wealth and power, historian Lisa Hackett said.

Now confined to ceremonial roles, monarchs “no longer use their clothing to display their power”, but instead want to convey respect and courtesy, said the academic from the University of New England in Australia.

Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2026